Revenge
by FolkFanatic
Summary: One shot possibility of what could happen on the summer finale - obviously written BEFORE the finale aired! Drama/Suspense/Action


Revenge

Rating: OT (16+) – M rating for

Warnings: Some violence, some language, minor mention of non-con, SPOILERS

Pairings: Elizabeth/Peter, mention of Neal/Kate

Summary: One shot of what could happen on the summer finale (written BEFORE I saw the finale – and damn but I hate suspense.)

Notes: characters may be a little OOC, may be a little AU/AR

It was an old-fashioned stand-off. Like on the television cop shows. Only this one made Peter Burke's stomach churn in a horrible apprehension crossed with more than a little bit of fear. Because this one was real, involving real people (one of which he viewed as a friend) and real weapons - not scripted or rehearsed or played out by actors with fake guns.

His _real_ FBI issued gun was trained on the _usually_ non-violent white collar convicted felon, conman-slash-art thief-slash-forger Neal Caffrey. Neal, in turn, had an old fashioned gun pointed shakily at rogue-agent-turned-suspected-murderer Garrett Fowler even as one hand wavered in the air to ward Peter back. The security guard that had followed them up initially was already gone, likely to call for backup.

Peter knew he had to do something, and fast: an NYPD officer or a member of the FBI not in the White Collar unit would likely not hesitate to shoot Neal if given the chance. Or arrest him if he gave up and surrendered the weapon.

There was a tense and desperate feeling hanging in the stale air of what used to be a bedroom. Neal's gaze was wavering between glaring at Fowler and staring mournfully at Peter. Peter could read the desperation, the pain, and the utter despair in the conman's usually shuttered eyes. This was a situation that could go either way….

"Neal, you need to put the gun down." Peter said firmly, but sympathetically. "You don't want to do this." Okay, poor choice of words because Peter knew that if he where in Neal's shoes and Elizabeth where Kate then HE would want to put a hole in the guy's head.

"Stay back, Peter." Even Neal's voice was shaking, Peter noticed absently. The conman was never very good with violence – abhorred it actually, wouldn't even struggle when he was caught – so this was a very surprising, very drastic turn of events that Peter never would have seen coming.

"Okay, I won't get any closer to you or Fowler. But Neal, you need to put the gun down. This isn't going to solve anything. I admit that shooting this creep would make me feel better too, but that's not how we do things."

"And that's what led to his escape in the first place." Neal commented, eyes now glued to Fowler. "So forgive me if I don't buy it – and you forget, I'm a criminal. Not a cop or an agent."

"You made some bad choices and you got caught, but you served your time for it." Peter corrected. "And this, this isn't you Neal. You're not violent and you're not a murderer." The gun wavered, lowering a bit. "You're my partner now. I trust you, you trust me. We're in this together." Peter reminded him. "As of now you haven't done anything I can't help you out of. Remember what we talked about – revenge isn't the way to go. It just furthers the chaos. Now please, just look at me." The gun lowered a bit more and Neal turned a bit to face Peter.

That was when things went to hell for real. Fowler made a sudden move and grabbed at Neal's lowered gun. Neal let out a half-feral scream of surprise and anger. "No, I won't let you hurt him!" Peter cursed as they fought for the gun, unable to get a shot in himself, and briefly wondered what the hell Neal was taking about. He didn't get to think on it more because Fowler gave one last shove and Neal, who was slightly smaller than Fowler, was propelled backwards to land by Peter's feet.

Fowler now had the gun. Peter trained his gun on the man but not before there was a loud bang. He let out an 'oomph' as he was propelled backwards, finger not quite fast enough on the trigger, and he heard Neal shout something. There was another shot, and then another, amongst the sounds of scuffling. Peter groaned and pulled himself up in time to see Neal go down like a stone. Fowler stood over him, smoking gun in hand. Peter twisted and pulled the small backup gun from his ankle holster, aimed, and fired – Fowler dropped immediately with a shout of pain and Neal's leg came out to sluggishly kick the dropped gun away from them.

"You okay? Neal?" Peter called out as he staggered to his feet. He thanked God that he had been smart enough to wear a bullet proof vest as he made his way to the gun and kicked it even further away from them. He would likely have some bruising under the vest, but he was alive. "Neal? Talk to me."

"Screwed up." Neal coughed as Peter finally reached him. Peter knelt down after checking that Fowler was truly out for the count – alive but unconscious. Peter helped the younger man roll over

"Yeah, you screwed up pal." Peter said as he pulled Neal's rumpled jacket away from his body. There where two gunshot wounds that he could see – one in the upper shoulder area and the other in the abdomen. Peter cursed and pulled out his phone, dialing 9-1-1. "This is FBI Agent Peter Burke – I need backup immediately at 241 Lazurne Road. I have a suspect in custody. I also need two ambulances – my consultant is down with two gunshot wounds to the shoulder and abdomen and the suspect is hit to the upper right chest area."

"Sorry." Peter ignored Neal's apology, hanging up his phone even as he pulled off his jacket. He pressed firmly against the abdomen wound and Neal let out a sharp yelp of pain. "Dammit! Guess I deserved that."

"Nobody deserves to be shot." Neal's painful gaze flashed over to where Fowler lay. "Okay, most nobody deserves to be shot." Peter amended. "YOU don't deserve to be shot. What you did was reckless, and foolish, and… and god why didn't I figure on it?" Neal coughed out a laugh as sirens sounded in the distance. Neal jumped a bit and Peter had to press to hold him down. "Don't you even think about running."

"Sorry." Peter could feel Neal try to force himself to stay put and settle. "Reflex." Peter rolled his eyes. He prodded a little bit when he noticed Neal's eyes slipping closed.

"Stay awake." Neal grumbled. "You need to tell me exactly what happened and how you got here." Neal nodded. "Give me the short version now so I can argue to get you in a regular hospital and not in prison."

"I've been getting things in the mail." Neal said softly. "Letters, objects. Kate's stuff." Peter winced internally. "Clues, I thought. Or maybe taunts. It drove me nuts."

"Yeah, I bet."

"Then I started seeing Fowler, but I could never get him. I tried to tell you." Peter flashed back to a couple of months ago when Neal cornered him and tried to tell him something about Fowler. He had been too engrossed in a case to pay much attention.

"Yeah, I know." Peter sighed.

"There where threats…. When I figured out he would be here, today, I knew I had to come get some answers." Neal finished quickly.

"So you cut your tracker, found a gun, and came rushing in with your head in the clouds." Peter concluded. The sirens got louder until they finally sounded directly in front of the building. "So you've been harassed and stalked and felt you had no other choice but to stop him from continuing – that's how I'll sell it, anyway." Peter said to himself as he heard shouting.

"Sounds good." Neal said breathlessly. "There where also…"

"Up here!" Peter called, interrupting Neal. "Here!" A small group of EMTs rushed in, two gurneys pulled along with them. "Here, GSW to the shoulder and abdomen." Peter leapt back as two of the EMTs lumbered over. "He hasn't lost consciousness." He glanced over to see the other team tending to Fowler. "He alive?"

"Barely." Peter shrugged, and then sighed just as Hughes barged into the room with the rest of his team and half of the FBI.

"What happened here?" Hughes asked harshly, staring between Neal and Fowler and Peter. "You better have a damn good explanation, Burke." There was a gasp of pain as Neal was transferred to one of the stretchers.

"Neal came after Fowler." Peter replied simply.

"I can see that." Hughes scowled. "Now I better hear a good excuse as to why or he's back in prison, Burke, and this time for good."

"He was harassing Neal." Peter said. "Letters and taunts." Hughes didn't look impressed.

"Been trying to tell him, Sir; Fowler threatened Peter and El. And June." Neal gasped from where they where lashing him to the stretcher, catching Hughes' attention and halting Peter from trying to argue his case. "Had to stop him." An oxygen mask was secured over Neal's face, preventing him from speaking anymore. Peter blinked in surprise.

"And you didn't think to inform anyone of this?" Hughes barked. "Do you have proof of this threat?" Neal nodded weakly. Peter narrowed his gaze on Neal's tapping finger.

"Your apartment." Peter translated. "Do you have the letters he's been sending you, too?" Neal nodded, tapping out in morse code that he had saved everything.

"We have to get him to a hospital." One of the EMTS interrupted. "Anyone riding with him?" Neal fell silent.

"I'll ride with him." Peter declared. Neal's eyes shot open in surprise. "Jones can ride with Fowler to keep an eye on him, and Diana – get to Neal's apartment and find that evidence. Neal: do we have your permission to turn the place upside-down?" Neal nodded in shock. "Good. Do it." There was a flutter of activity and Hughes fell into step beside Peter.

"If you can prove that he was pressured into this, and that there where threats against you I might be able to do something for him." Hughes said. "He's obviously emotionally involved but Peter, if we don't have that evidence of a threat then he's looking at prison."

"Neal hates violence and guns, he would only ever do something like this if he felt he had nothing to lose." Peter said hoarsely, but assuredly. "Neal didn't shoot him Hughes. When I got here, he had Fowler at gun point but I was able to talk him out of it." Peter said quickly, explaining now that he had the time to do so. "Fowler went for the gun, the gun went off and got Neal then Fowler shot me – I pulled my backup and shot him myself."

"Okay." Hughes sighed. "CSI will confirm that and I guess that'll help, but he's still on the hook for everything else. He cut his tracker and came after a man with a gun, Peter. You know that he could be tried and convicted of attempted murder with the right evidence." Peter nodded as Neal was loaded into the ambulance. "So get the evidence that'll help clear his name. I'll come by later to get your official statement." Peter nodded and turned to climb into the ambulance with Neal. "I'll call your wife and have someone go pick her up."

"Thanks!" The doors slammed shut.

- Neal's Apartment -

Diana stood back and watched as her hand-picked team of agents literally overturned every inch of Neal Caffrey's apartment. In the center of the room a pile of letters and objects steadily grew larger. All of them where addressed to Neal and all of them where signed by either Fowler or a guy named Mitchell.

Hundreds of fingerprints where lifted from all areas of the loft as they swept around, and an electronic reader picked out three sets that didn't belong to Neal, Peter, or June. One of them likely belonged to Neal's little friend, Mozzie, and she would personally check on that later, but the other two belonged to Fowler and (she assumed) the same Mitchell as from the letters.

Hair was plucked and DNA was swabbed from the bathroom, and the bed linens where bundled up to be dropped off at the lab with those samples – Diana really didn't like the looks of the stains on the sheets and she figured the worst would be proven later on.

"Agent Berrigan, we have an envelope over here addressed to the FBI." One of the CSI team shouted as they finished their sweep – she was grateful that they hadn't found anything illegal or incriminating during the sweep. "It feels like paper inside." Diana took the envelope from the CSI and tore the top open. Sure enough, she could see a handful of letters. She strode over to pour them out over the table. She saw one with her name on it and picked it up.

_Diana,_

_You're a really good agent, you know. You would have to be to keep up with Peter. I bet in a couple of years you'll be the one calling the shots and tracking down criminals like me all on your own. He did good to choose you as his probie! Keep an eye on him for me, would you? _

_Neal Caffrey_

"They're farewell letters." Diana realized. She hesitated to tear open and read through the rest. In the end, she shoved them all back in the big envelope with a sigh and shoved that in her handbag. She moved to look over the pile of stuff in the center of the room and ended up grimacing. "No wonder he went after Fowler." She said as she picked through.

"Yeah, there's some pretty disturbing stuff there." A CSI agreed. There where letters, some short and simple others longer and elaborate. There where objects. Locks of hair. Photos. Diana didn't bother to read the letters in detail, just skimmed them – they all said roughly the same thing: I'm watching you, watch your back, insults to him and Kate, stuff ABOUT Kate, hidden and visible threats to him…. And then she found the cincher.

_Caffrey,_

_Game over. I've always wanted a dog, you know – how did you like my little gift? I know that he was very pleased to see you. I'm tired of waiting – you better say goodbye to the Burkes._

Scratched on the back of the letter, in Neal's writing, where thoughts and notes. Eventually they all concluded that Fowler was in the city. Another scrap of paper was taped to the bottom and it held the address where Neal and Fowler had been found.

"Damn." She said when she was done reading. "Get this to the lab for prints and residue. Don't lose it." She barked at the head CSI, a man she'd known close to ten years. The team worked to bag up the rest of the letters and objects and marched them out to the CSI van. "Try to clean some of this up – I'm going to the hospital to meet with Agents Burke and Hughes."

"Right!"

- The Hospital -

Diana strode past what had to be half of the White Collar division on her way through the general waiting rooms to find her boss. Most of the employees glanced up and waved as she walked by and one of them pointed her in the direction of the private waiting rooms where she found Peter, Elizabeth, June, and Hughes.

"Did you find it?" Peter asked once he saw her.

"Yeah. Someone has been writing him letters. Some are threatening, some are just plain sick. The last one was a direct threat to the Burkes. The lab will compare writing samples but I'm guessing Fowler sent it. Neal figured out where Fowler was hiding out, his notes are on the back of that letter. I couldn't find anything on what the planned to do or how he got the gun."

"I can work with that." Hughes eventually said.

"I also found mention of a guy named Mitchell and evidence that Neal may have been assaulted. And I found these." She pulled the envelope from her bag and popped it open to show the array of letters. "I read mine, I think they're all farewell letters." She pulled them out one by one and handed them to their respective recipients. Even Hughes got one.

"Hughes, I know you never liked me and I know you trusted me even less – but thanks for the chance and I'm sorry I blew it. Don't blame Peter for this, he's a good agent and a good guy – guess he just put his hand in with the wrong person this time. I bet there are other people in the system more deserving of a second chance than me." Hughes read out loud. "Is this a 'good bye I'm running' letter or a 'good bye I don't plan on making it through this' letter?" Hughes asked with a frown.

"Jones, help Diana watch out for Peter. Thanks for treating me fairly. You're a good agent and a good actor. Remember that you don't have to follow the rules to the tee, have a little fun on investigations." Jones read next. He avoided Hughes questioning look.

"June, thanks for giving me a place to stay." June started to read. "I was lucky to have run into you when I did – even luckier still that you hold no prejudice to convicted criminals. I'm sorry to have dragged you into this…." She trailed off, reading to herself for a while. Her eyes teared up. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you or anyone else. You're a good woman, and a good friend. I'll say hello to Byron for you – I'm sure we'll get along perfectly." She choked out the rest.

"So these are suicide letters." Hughes said, his voice soft for once. "He didn't expect to make it. But why?" Elizabeth tore hers open.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry that you've had to compete with me all these years. Peter should have focused on you. You're a good friend and a good wife – you're lucky to have a guy like Peter and he's lucky to have found a woman like you. Thanks for putting up with a screw-up like me…." Like June, she trailed off to read the rest of the letter to herself. When she was done, she too was crying. Peter hesitantly opened his and began to read.

"Peter, I screwed up again. I know I promised that I would do things your way, but your way is too slow and I hate being left in the dark. I understand why you had to pull me from this case but I can't stand by and watch him kill you." Peter paused, and then continued. "There's a notebook with some more evidence in a safety deposit box – Fowler was behind everything and he was blackmailing and threatening other people in his office to do his dirty work. He was also working with a guy named Mitchell Price – you'll find him in the system easily enough." He read to himself for a few minutes. "I'm ending this tonight. I'm sure you'll be able to piece things together after you find us. I wish things could have turned out differently, Peter, we make a good team."

"Someone needs to get that notebook." Hughes said when Peter finished.

"I'm on it." Jones offered, taking off.

"Diana, what evidence did you find to point to possible assault?" Peter asked as he scanned through his letter one more time.

"We found Fowler's prints in the apartment, along with a guy named Mitchell Price – the guy in your letter. Also the same guy who sent some of the more graphic letters. We also found some blood spatter, thought not a lot." Diana replied. "And there was some suspicious staining on the bed linens. The Lab is running analysis on the blood and the stains."

"So someone possibly broke in. Someone possibly assaulted him in his own home, and recently." Peter concluded. "Dammit, I pushed him away on this case and he felt he couldn't come to me with this for help. He felt like he couldn't trust me."

"Honey, it isn't your fault." Elizabeth tried to soothe. "He trusts you, he even said as much in the letter."

"I'm going back to the office with Diana." Hughes spoke up. "I'm going to put things together on our end with the evidence to create a timeline of what happened and when. I'm afraid Neal will have to stay in custody until we can clear him, if we can clear him, so the Marshall's will be by with a new tracker." Peter nodded. "Call me if anything happens."

- White Collar Conference Room -

Hughes stood looking down at the myriad of papers spread out in the conference room: letters from Caffrey's apartment, the CSI findings, the information Jones found in that safety deposit box, and files from the Fowler investigation. It was a complete and utter mess and Hughes didn't know where to start.

"We should assemble a timeline." Diana suggested from across the table, having just entered with company lawyer Ed Myers, a man commissioned by the Bureau to help clear agents of crimes. He was one of the best, though Hughes was mildly surprised that he was willing to help out a convicted felon (consultant or no.)

Diana reached over and shuffled through papers until she found the file Peter had constructed of Kate Moreau. "Kate dumps Neal, prompting his escape from prison." She started. "Which leads to an unofficial investigation that proves she was being held against her will, more or less. This was when Fowler shows up supposed investigating Peter." She said, laying various papers out in order and explaining everything to Hughes and Myers as she went along.

"Then we have the music box, which was what Fowler was after from day one, come into play. Neal steals it, I'm assuming, and gives it to Fowler in exchange for Kate. At which point we discover the Mentor Program." Hughes said, shuffling papers in order.

"We managed to get Fowler and the box, but Fowler is taken by OPR."

"Just as Neal finds Kate and the plane explodes." Hughes glanced through the investigation report with a frown. "That was deemed accidental and the case was closed. Fowler was released by OPR."

"A major blow to Mr. Caffrey." Myers commented as he watched and listened. "And a major blow to his trust of the FBI." Diana nodded. Now the pile of papers was starting to form a bit of a timeline.

"For a while everything seemed okay, but then he found out we kept the music box." Diana commented. "He wasn't happy but Peter told me he let it slide. He and Peter found the hidden piece inside it. That's when the letters started coming." The letters themselves where pushed into place. "From what we can tell here, the harassment started not long after the first letter – Peter wouldn't listen to him for one reason or another. We're guessing that somewhere in between then and the incident today was when Mitchell assaulted Neal, possibly multiple times." Mitchell's photo was put into place. "That's when we got evidence of Fowler's presence in the city." Diana said, pushing the picture of Fowler into the line. "And we figured out his alias, and that the alias was used to buy the explosives used to set off the plane."

"Peter told Neal?" Myers asked. Hughes and Diana nodded.

"The letter threatening Peter was dated two days ago, one day after we told him about the explosives." Diana noted. "Neal apparently didn't trust anyone to take care of things and felt that Peter was in danger, maybe even Elizabeth or June, so he procured a gun – you'll have to ask him how and where – and went after Fowler." Now the papers where in a neat timeline, complete with forensic evidence where needed. The files from the safety deposit box linked Fowler to Mitchell easily enough.

"This is good work." Myers finally said after glancing through things. "With this evidence, if charges are brought up on attempted murder I'm confident I can get them dropped. It may not come up at all. I can also get any sentence on the illegal weapon diminished greatly. We can try going through a small court with just a judge, no jury, but I believe the judge will require a psyche evaluation to have proof that Neal wasn't in his right mind – which is no problem, I'm assuming."

"Whatever you can do for him is good." Diana said softly. "If you can keep him out of prison…."

"I'll certainly try my hardest." Myers promised.

- The Hospital -

Neal had slipped into a mild coma. Peter forced himself to listen to the doctor as he went over the results of the examination, which where on their way to the office and Hughes.

"The most obvious wounds are the gunshots so we'll start with those." The doctor, Alan Greene, stated. "The abdomen wound was rather simple – we pulled the bullet out with no complications. It didn't hit anything and we stitched him up nicely. The one in his shoulder, though, was a bit more complicated. It was a through-and-through but it wasn't quite so clean. It hit bone, muscle, and ligaments on the way in and out." Peter winced. "We repaired it the best we could but it's up to nature to heal it the rest of the way. Best case scenario he gets close to 80% mobility and very little pain with it, worst care he gets closer to 40% mobility and will be on pain medication the rest of his life."

"Dammit."

"Let's keep our hopes up for best case scenario." Allan said softly. "Good news is those appear to be the worst injuries. He's got a few bumps and bruises, a bruised rib or two, and we found evidence of sexual assault. We're running blood work for infections, STDs, and HIV but we're cautiously optimistic that we won't find anything. He's in a very mild coma due to shock and blood loss but I expect he'll pull out of it by tomorrow. At which point I'm going to suggest a psyche evaluation. I hear this may go to court? In which case an evaluation would be a good thing for him."

"Right. I agree." Peter nodded. Alan took his leave and Peter turned to Elizabeth. "Honey, why don't you go on home? I'm going to stay with him tonight." She nestled into his arms for a hug but nodded.

"I'll bring some coffee in the morning then." She said with a sad smile. She kissed her husband goodbye and gently squeezed Neal's hand before leaving the hospital. Peter took a seat in the lone chair and hunkered down to wait.

Sure enough Neal pulled out of the coma the following morning. After a few tests that declared him on his way to healing he met with Ed Myers. Alone. Peter watched their interaction through the large window looking into Neal's private room, sipping the coffee that Elizabeth had dropped by. When Ed stepped out he pulled Peter to the side.

"The hospital is going to send down a psychiatrist to evaluate him. It'll help a lot with the case, should even go far enough to get him cleared." Peter nodded. "He's lucky to have a partner like you, you know. Your testimony will be crucial. I'll get in touch with you to go over it, just in case this goes to court."

"Of course. Thanks for taking his case." Peter said in reply as Myers took off with a wave. Before he could go back in to see Neal a good looking woman strode down the hall and stopped in front of him.

"I'm Doctor Taylor, I'll be doing Neal's psych eval. You must be Peter Burke?" Peter nodded and accepted her handshake. "It shouldn't take me long to talk to him so I would like to talk to you briefly after?"

"Yeah, sure." She gave him a charming smile and pushed into the room.

- Neal's Room -

Dr. Melanie Taylor had been a psychiatrist for going on 25 years, but it was only recently – within the past ten or so – that she began to work with the FBI. Most of her duties involved evaluating people claiming that a committed crime was an act of revenge against an assailant or an act to protect a loved one. In other words to see if the crime committed was spur-of-the-moment or if it was planned. It was surprising how many people tried this claim and a staggering 80% of them she deemed where pulling excuses out of their ass.

Which was why she was more than a little surprised to have been called in to evaluate one Neal Caffrey, convicted felon: less surprised when she found out why. Caffrey was quite the talk amongst the inner circle of NYC criminal psychologists – he was good looking (according to the photo on the television) and his escapades (proven and alleged) where legendary. Everybody wanted to meet him, evaluate him, see what really made him tick instead of basing their diagnosis on rumors.

And there where plenty of rumors.

Now that she was sitting across from him, she could see why everyone in the field of criminal psychology was entranced with him (and others like him). He had a strong mask, stronger than she's ever seen – on the outside he looked calm and cool, collected… but his blue eyes where too jerky, too bright, and he looked like he could have just crawled out of hell. He wasn't at his best, she realized, but she would take what she could get.

To her surprise – though to be honest she shouldn't have been surprised - it took her an hour to get him relaxed enough to talk to her. He had a deep rooted fear and mistrust in authority figures (and she had to be honest, likely in psychiatrists and law enforcement.) And when he did finally talk to her he kept his answers short and clipped. Almost rehearsed. She had to pry deeply, carefully, before she found what she was looking for – the utter fear and the honest belief that his friends, his only friends, where in danger and that he had to do something about it.

As she talked with him she formed a very basic profile. When she could see through his cracks she saw that he had an almost childish view of the world and had no concept of the reality behind his actions. He saw, he wanted, he took – not out of spite but because he could. He was also a very intelligent man that needed to do something, and outsmarting people seemed to be the way he dealt with it. Likely the only way he know how.

But she also noted that there didn't seem to be a spiteful bone in his body. Nothing to point to him being a dangerous man. Could he get jealous? Could he get annoyed? Could he be pushed into doing something rash against someone that annoyed him? Yes. But her five year old cousin was like that, only where as her cousin drew on the walls in reaction Neal would steal something.

He was very interesting, she noted as she left Neal to rest. She spoke with Agent Burke in the hallway for a short period and found him to be the complete opposite of Caffrey in every aspect except the protection of his friends and family. Which, she determined, was why they got along so well – Peter made a great anchor for Neal and she had no qualms in telling him so.

By the end of the day her findings where faxed to Hughes in the White Collar division of the FBI as well as Caffrey's lawyer and she genuinely hoped they would be enough to get the young man off.

- Court Room -

Peter, Elizabeth, June, and most of the White Collar division sat anxiously awaiting the start of Neal's judge-only trial. Neal, just released from the hospital, sat next to Ed Myers and was looking downright miserable – one arm was securely strapped to his side to prevent movement and he was hunched over a little bit, obviously holding his good hand over the still tender abdomen wound. He was pale, had dark circles around his eyes, and looked about ready to keel over.

Myers had been able to get almost every charge dropped, as promised, using the evidence of the assault and Peter's testimony to prove that Neal hadn't shot Fowler and that his obtainment of the gun and subsequent almost-use of it was the result of trauma and hysteria.

The only charge he couldn't get dropped completely was the breaking of his work release and the removal of the tracking anklet, which was why they where in the small courtroom today. The only reason THAT was even an issue was because it could have been argued (and was argued by a prosecutor) that he could have stolen the key to his anklet prior to the start of the harassment (which he did, though no one knew) and that he had planned to flee from the very beginning.

"Mr. Caffrey, it's been a while since you where last in a court room. At least this time it isn't because of bond forgery." The judge started with a wry smile. "We'll keep this short and simple since you requested a jury free judgment trial. You cut your tracker and ran, cornered a suspected rogue agent with a gun, grappled with said agent over the gun, put another agent in danger, said agent had to discharge his weapon, and now we're here – correct?"

"Yes." Neal said softly.

"Let's hear what you're lawyer has to say." The judge waved Ed Myers into action.

"We have evidence to prove that Mr. Caffrey felt his friends where in danger, so he tracked down and cornered the person who threatened them. The same person who was involved with the explosion at the airport that killed Kate Moreau and who had been stalking and harassing him for months. We have a confession from the man he held at gunpoint admitting he hired someone to assault Mr. Caffrey in his own home." Ed laid out. "He didn't go to the FBI or police because he didn't feel like he could trust them considering the guy he was going after had been OPR and had also been hidden by OPR." Some of the letters where handed over to the judge. "In addition, Mr. Caffrey never pulled the trigger himself. He was about to surrender himself to Agent Burke when Garret Fowler went for the gun. Fowler was the one that shot Neal and Agent Burke. Agent Burke fired the shot that nearly killed him, saving Mr. Caffrey and himself in the process. All charges in relation to that have been dropped, as you can see in the file."

"I do see that." The judge said as he studied the evidence. "It is clear that Mr. Caffrey was pushed into a rash decision and I don't disagree with dropping the charges. However the issue is that of the key and how he obtained it." Neal hung his head a little bit. "I've gone over your files Mr. Caffrey, and there's a pretty impressive list of alleged crimes that suggest you're perfectly able to steal the key at any time once you knew of it's location. That alone makes me want to lock you up and throw away the key." Neal flashed a weak grin. "You're also pretty arrogant and I can tell you're not really sorry for any crimes committed – alleged or otherwise." The judge frowned a bit. "But I also noticed a pretty impressive list of cases you helped solve for the FBI. And you've gone above and beyond what was required of you as per the original agreement. I've also looked over the rest of the evidence of the harassment, the threats, and the abuse suffered. I also read over your psyche evaluation – and I concluded that you cannot be held legally liable for your actions against Fowler. I have also concluded that there is no proof you stole the key prior to the proven harassment." Neal glanced up in surprise. "So I'm going to allow you to continue on the work release program and the charges will be dropped."

"Thank you, your honor." Ed said as Neal just blinked in surprise.

"Same rules as before, Mr. Caffrey. But you're not to return to work full time, doing undercover work, until a psychiatrist and medical doctor clears you to do so." Neal nodded weakly. "If something like this happens again, you go to your partner Mr. Caffrey – don't try to do it on your own. We're adjourned."

Peter and Elizabeth stood up and made their way to a still flustered Neal as Ed was putting away his things. "Hey partner." Peter squeezed his shoulder gently. "That didn't take too long."

"It was a simple case. Mere formality, actually. I bet if the prosecutor from the initial hearing hadn't pushed the issue Neal would have been released earlier. But he had to try something." Ed said with a wry grin. "Keep out of trouble Neal."

"Let's get out of here." Peter said gently as Ed turned away. Neal nodded once, shakily, and let Peter heft him to his feet.

"You're coming to stay with us tonight." Elizabeth said as they made their way out of the courtroom. Neal couldn't find it in his heart to argue with her so he just nodded, shielding his face as a flash went off just as they stepped into the main building.

"Shit." Peter cursed. Neal glanced around to find a good dozen or so reporters hanging around, all looking towards them. Before they could swarm, Peter held out a hand and braced himself right in front of Neal and Elizabeth. "If you don't want to be arrested for harassment or assault, I suggest you keep back." They froze. "Neal has absolutely nothing to say to you."

"Agent Burke, as an FBI agent why are you personally protecting a convicted felon?" A reporter asked loudly.

"So much for undercover work." Neal whispered to Elizabeth. She didn't seem too broken up by it.

"Neal was convicted of bond forgery. He served all but three months of his four year sentence. Yes, he broke out, but he's serving the time he got for that through a work release program that is a little over one year from completion. Now he's a valuable member of my team, and dare say it a friend. He paid the price for his crime and that's that in my eyes." With that he hustled them out of the courtroom as the reporters scurried for pictures.

Neal smiled to himself as they drove away, the first true smile since Kate's death. Peter had come through for him and had given him reason to stay. Now all he had to do was work on reining in those pesky skills as a con and thief!

END


End file.
